Monthly Archives: May 2013

Amontay Beach Resort is located in Amontay, Nasipit, Agusan del Norte. It is the only resort in Agusan that offers wide variety of activities and amenities. If you had enough of white sand beaches and wants to try gray sand beach but still with clear waters, then Amontay is a good choice. It is an easy access to tourists since it is just a few minutes away from the Port Of Nasipit (the portal of Butuan City).

How To Get There:From Butuan city, you can ride a bus bound for Cagayan de Oro city and just tell the driver or the steward to drop you off at the corner going to Amontay Beach Resort. Travel time is around 30 minutes from Butuan City. If you travel by boat from Cebu or Manila, you can just take a trike going to the resort upon arrival at the port of Nasipit.

Amenities and Accomodation:

The Poolside Rooms

The Beachfront Rooms

The Pool Kiddie pool

The big Pool

Other Views of the Pool

Pool Bar (ongoing construction)

Poolside Activity Center

The Beach

The Food Buffet Meal Breakfast The Menu

Outdoor Activities The Restaurant

The Function Room

Amontay Beach is a great place to spend a day or even for a few nights. The food is, in my own rating, around satisfactory to good. The food service is slow at times if they would have a bunch of guests to serve and attend to but they still do their best to be good at what they do. Overall, it is a good place to stay and I recommend it to guests who are planning to visit Butuan or any part of northern Mindanao.

The Ruins of the Lacson Family Mansion is now a certified tourist spot. It is one of the best ruins in the world – that is according to the hilarious tour guide where he declared that the ruins is the 12th best ruins in the world out of 12 ruins. When I first get to see the ruins, I immediately had the goosebumps, not because I was frightened but because I was just overwhelmed with the elegance of the Mansion.

The Lacson family is one of the richest and well-known families in Negros Occidental up until today. Mr. Lacson way back years and years ago, fell in love with Maria Braga and had children, but sadly Maria Braga died. And with the love of Mr. Lacson for his wife, he built this majestic mansion for the love of his wife. Several years later, he married again with another woman but he decided to leave the mansion because it was, for him, exclusive for Maria Braga. Can you imagine how in love he was? Anyways.. Later on, it was destroyed by the Americans during world war 2 because the Americans heard that Japanese will use the mansion as barracks or place of refuge.

Whatever the fate of that mansion is before, all that matters now is it is an attraction that is gaining the international tourists. We Filipinos must be very proud!

How To Get There: From Bacolod City ride the jeepney bound for BATA, or ride the jeepney with the route Libertad-Bata. Ask first if it is bound for Bata because you might end up going to Libertad. Tell the driver of the jeepney to drop you off the corner going to the ruins, then you can ride a motorbike for 25php going to the ruins. You can also choose to ride a taxi from the city and tell them the destination, I am 100% sure that they already know the place.

More pictures of the ruins:

Once you are in Bacolod for the Masskara Festival, do not ever forget to visit the ruins. It is fascinating and educating!

The Manila Ocean Park is the ultimate destination for individuals, couples, groups, or families who love to seek marine life adventures and education with entertainment in one place. It draws tourists because of its ideal location. It is located right at the heart of Manila, adjacent to Quirino Grandstand and Luneta Park. It is owned and operated by China Oceanis Philippines and opened to public in 2008.

How To Get There:From NAIA, you can just simply take a cab going to the Manila Ocean Park. It is just walking distance from the Port Area (Eva Macapagal Wharf). You can just easily locate the park since it is just beside Quirino Grandstand. The nearest MRT station is MRT 3 UN ave station. If you are planning to check in a hotel within Metro Manila and visit Ocean Park, I suggest you look for a hotel within Manila central district area.

Activities & Amenities:

The Oceanarium

Giant Aripaima

Philippine Crocodile

Red Pacu

Seahorses (doin some lovin’)

Butterfly fish

Horn Fish

And All other Fishes:

The Jellies Exhibit

The Musical Fountain Show

Penguin Talk Show

Trails to Antarctica (real life penguins)

Snow Village

You can actually experience snow here in the Philippines.. 🙂

Sea Lion Show

All Star Bird Show

There are still a lot of activities that we have not tried like Shark Encounter where you actually swim with the sharks, aquanaut, and glass bottom boat ride. You can also find Bazaars, souvenir shops, and other establishments inside Manila Ocean Park. They have food stalls, restaurants, fastfoods, and more.

Does watching the photos of this entry entice you to visit The Manila Ocean Park? Then obey it! You can actually get good deals through Metrodeal and through different agents who deal promos for Ocean Park! I actually bought our tickets through Metrodeal.

Virgin Beach Resort is a budget-friendly tropical paradise. This place is ideal to every human being who seeks escape from the reality of a stressful job, who seeks to pamper themselves, who seeks adventure, and who needs enough brainwashing (emptying their minds through meditation with peaceful and tranquil environment). This place is also perfect for lovers who needs to unwind and spend some romantic time, and I mean lovers of all ages; you might be new lovers or lovers for decades. If you are a company or a group of 20, 50, 100 or more people, then this place is just right for you! There has already been a lot of team/company outing that was being held at Virgin Beach and that is because of the amenities and its enough space that could cater up to 300 people (in my own estimate). You can actually have a lot of activities there for your team, and I am sure not a single person would get bored (unless that person is a loner); see their amenities as shown below. For families, yes indeed this place is perfect for families. The pool is the favorite place of the children.

How To Get There: From Cebu City take a cab going to the North Bus Station. At the bus station, you can choose different bus companies but I prefer Ceres Tours (for safety and comfort). Take the Maya-Bagay route and tell the bus driver or conductor to drop you off at the corner going to Virgin Beach Resort in Malbago, Daanbantayan. From the national road going to the resort, you can ride a motorbike (habal2x) for 50Php (good for 2 pax already).

If you cannot find an aircon bus with Maya-Bagay route and you prefer aircon bus, you can just ride an Aircon Bus with any route going to Bogo, but be sure to transfer to another bus (Maya-Bagay Route) when you arrive in Bogo City.

For private vehicles, it is best if you bring a map with you if you are not familiar with the place. The place is located in Malbago, Daanbantayan, Cebu.

Accommodation and Amenities:Virgin Beach Resort’s Superior Room

The Beach

The Swimming Pool

Kayaking

Beach Volleyball

Mini Golf

Mini Wall Climb with Zip

Billiard Hall

Mini Library

Entertainment Hall (movies, karaoke, board games, mini stage)

Island Hopping (Malapascua & Capitancillo Island)

Beach Huts

The Food: Virgin Beach Resort offers a wide variety of food in their restaurant. From Filipino to American dishes. They give excellent value to food. Here are some images of their food: Chicken Afritada

Pancit Guisado

Chopsuey and Chicken Tinola

American Breakfast

I love my overall experience in Virgin Beach Resort and I would highly recommend the resort to those who seek a break from his/her usual routine in life. I guarantee that you will really enjoy your stay at the Virgin Beach Resort!